What skills should a Human Resources Assistant put on a resume?

O*NET rates Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, and Critical Thinking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.

What software should a Human Resources Assistant list?

Software recorded for this occupation includes ADP Enterprise HR, ADP Workforce Now, Applicant tracking software, Blackboard Learn, and Blackboard Learning System. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.

What other job titles cover Human Resources Assistant work?

O*NET records 27 titles for this occupation, including Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping, Human Resources Administrative Assistant, HR Administrative Assistant, and HR Assistant. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

What qualifications does a Human Resources Assistant need?

In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 34% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

Will this resume pass an ATS for a Human Resources Assistant role?

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Human Resources Assistant resume example

A resume for a Human Resources Assistant needs to show the work itself: compile and keep personnel records. Day to day that means work like this: process, verify, and maintain personnel related documentation, including staffing, recruitment, training, grievances, performance evaluations, classifications, and employee leaves of absence; record data for each employee, including such information as addresses, weekly earnings, absences, amount of sales or production, supervisory reports on performance, and dates of and reasons for terminations. Recruiters and applicant tracking systems both read for the tasks and tools this role actually involves, so the strongest resume names them in your own experience rather than describing the job in the abstract. Below are the tasks O*NET records for this occupation, the software and tools it uses, the titles it is advertised under, and the skills worth naming if they are genuinely yours.

Also advertised as

The same job is posted under many titles. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.

Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping
Human Resources Administrative Assistant
HR Administrative Assistant
HR Assistant
Human Resources Associate
HR Associate
Personnel Clerk
HR Clerk
Assignment Clerk
Benefits Clerk
Benefits Coordinator
Benefits Technician
Civil Service Clerk
Civil Service Worker
Contract Clerk
Employment Assistant
Employment Clerk
Enrollment Specialist

O*NET records 27 titles for this occupation in total.

What people in this job call themselves

Titles reported by people actually doing this work, which is often not the title on the job posting.

Human Resources Administrative Assistant (HR Administrative Assistant)
Human Resources Assistant (HR Assistant)
Human Resources Associate (HR Associate)

What this work actually involves

Tasks recorded for this occupation, in O*NET's words. If your experience covers one of these, it belongs on your resume in your own words.

Process, verify, and maintain personnel related documentation, including staffing, recruitment, training, grievances, performance evaluations, classifications, and employee leaves of absence.
Record data for each employee, including such information as addresses, weekly earnings, absences, amount of sales or production, supervisory reports on performance, and dates of and reasons for terminations.
Explain company personnel policies, benefits, and procedures to employees or job applicants.
Provide assistance in administering employee benefit programs and worker's compensation plans.
Answer questions regarding examinations, eligibility, salaries, benefits, and other pertinent information.
Prepare and set up for new employee orientations.
Gather personnel records from other departments or employees.
Examine employee files to answer inquiries and provide information for personnel actions.
Search employee files to obtain information for authorized persons and organizations, such as credit bureaus and finance companies.
Compile and prepare reports and documents pertaining to personnel activities.
Interview job applicants to obtain and verify information used to screen and evaluate them.
Process and review employment applications to evaluate qualifications or eligibility of applicants.

19 tasks are recorded in total; these are the most central.

Example bullets for this role

Built from this occupation's own tasks. The brackets stay empty on purpose: we will not invent a number for you, and a fabricated metric is the fastest way to lose an interview you had already won.

Process, verify, and maintain personnel related documentation, including staffing, recruitment, training, grievances, performance evaluations, classifications, and employee leaves of absence, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Record data for each employee, including such information as addresses, weekly earnings, absences, amount of sales or production, supervisory reports on performance, and dates of and reasons for terminations, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Explain company personnel policies, benefits, and procedures to employees or job applicants, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].
Provide assistance in administering employee benefit programs and worker's compensation plans, for [who or what it served], at [what volume].

Software used in this role

Recorded for this occupation by O*NET. An applicant tracking system matches the exact product name, so write the tool the way the posting writes it.

ADP Enterprise HR
ADP Workforce Now
Applicant tracking software
Blackboard Learn
Blackboard Learning System
Calendar and scheduling software
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite
Database software
Document management system software
Email software
Employee performance management system
Employee self-service software
Enterprise resource planning ERP software
FileMaker Pro

41 software entries are recorded in total.

Tools and equipment

The physical equipment this occupation is recorded as using. Worth naming when a posting asks for it by name.

10-key calculators
Desktop computers
Document binding equipment
Laser facsimile machines
Mainframe computers
Personal computers
Photocopiers
Photocopying equipment
Scanners

Skills an ATS reads for

Worth naming only if they are genuinely yours. Keyword overlap is one input to a resume's score, not a verdict.

Applicant tracking
Oracle HRIS
train personnel

What this job rates as most important

O*NET rates every skill for importance to this occupation. These are the highest rated, in order.

01Active Listening
02Reading Comprehension
03Speaking
04Writing
05Critical Thinking
06Monitoring
07Social Perceptiveness
08Time Management
09Active Learning
10Complex Problem Solving

Knowledge areas

The subject knowledge this occupation draws on, rated by importance.

Personnel and Human Resources
Administrative
Customer and Personal Service
Administration and Management
English Language

What qualifications people in this job have

From O*NET's survey of people doing this work. This is what postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.

34%Bachelor's Degree
27%Associate's Degree
21%High School Diploma, or the equivalent

What level this role is pitched at

O*NET places this occupation in “Medium Preparation Needed”. Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.

Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.

Common questions

What does a Human Resources Assistant do?: Compile and keep personnel records. Day to day that includes work like process, verify, and maintain personnel related documentation, including staffing, recruitment, training, grievances, performance evaluations, classifications, and employee leaves of absence and Record data for each employee, including such information as addresses, weekly earnings, absences, amount of sales or production, supervisory reports on performance, and dates of and reasons for terminations.
What skills should a Human Resources Assistant put on a resume?: O*NET rates Active Listening, Reading Comprehension, Speaking, Writing, and Critical Thinking among the most important skills for this occupation. Name the ones that are genuinely yours and show where you used them. A resume that lists skills you do not have is weaker than one that lists fewer.
What software should a Human Resources Assistant list?: Software recorded for this occupation includes ADP Enterprise HR, ADP Workforce Now, Applicant tracking software, Blackboard Learn, and Blackboard Learning System. Applicant tracking systems match on the exact product name, so write the tool as the posting writes it rather than describing it in general terms.
What other job titles cover Human Resources Assistant work?: O*NET records 27 titles for this occupation, including Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping, Human Resources Administrative Assistant, HR Administrative Assistant, and HR Assistant. Searching only your own job title hides most of the openings you could apply to.
What qualifications does a Human Resources Assistant need?: In O*NET's survey of people doing this job, 34% reported their level of education as "Bachelor's Degree". That is what current postholders reported, not a requirement any single employer sets.
Will this resume pass an ATS for a Human Resources Assistant role?: No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer's system is configured, including ours. What you can control is that the resume parses cleanly, names the work in the words the posting uses, and does not claim anything you cannot back up.

Related roles

Occupations O*NET records as closest to this one, and worth looking at if this search is not moving.

What this page cannot tell you

No tool outside an employer can tell you how that employer’s ATS is configured, including ours.
This page makes no claim about pay, demand or how many people hold this job. O*NET does not publish that here and we will not estimate it.
Keyword overlap is one input to a resume’s score, not a verdict on you. A resume that names skills you do not have is worse than one that names fewer.

If this is the job you are aiming at, the guide to tailoring a resume covers how to aim one posting properly, and building and exporting a resume here is free.

Occupation data from the O*NET 29.1 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under CC BY 4.0. O*NET is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. SpartanResume is not endorsed by USDOL/ETA.